Clementine is a neighborhood French restaurant in the inner Richmond district of San Francisco. It was purchased by Restaurant Chapeau’s owner in early 2008.
We have had great meals at Chapeau, so it was time to try his new venture. They have several different prix fixe tasting menus. Early bird special is the way to maximize value.

Decor, Vibe - Small space with bar area on one side. Stylish restrained decor. Locals in their 40’s and 50’s and probably a lot of Chapeau fans were dining. No high energy scene here.

Menu Pictures

Picks:

Foie Gras was small but very good. Melts in your mouth with the included toast.

Scallops were very good especially with the excellent Lobster risotto.

Sea Bass was a big portion of tender, well cooked fish. Nice sauce.

Filet Mignon was a medium sized hunk of tender beef. It came with decadant bone marrow, which is probably 75% fat, but delicious nonetheless.

Duck was a huge course.  Well cooked to medium rare.

Creme Brulee was very smooth and creamy.

Chocolate Cake took 10 extra minutes but was well worth the wait. Very good delicate dessert.

Chocolate Pot de creme was very chocolaty and had coffee flavor. A nice complimentary dessert.

OK:

Sorbet had 3 different flavors. An average dessert.

Crab Cake was a large portion but a little too overcooked.

Pans:
None

Clementine was a very good experience but was a notch below what we have expereinced at Chapeau. The service slowed down after a while. The Chef/Owner likes to walk around and shoot the bull with customers.
French food style was similar to Chapeau’s. We would have no problem recommending this place. Quality and value is high at this neighborhood eatery.

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Gamine is a French restaurant on the Union street shopping corridor that used to be named Chez Maman but was purchased by the manager and renamed. Everything else remained the same.
They have a lunch menu and serve Sunday Brunch. They focus on more lower cost fare than many of the expensive restaurants nearby. They are know for the friendly waitstaff.

Decor, Vibe - Small homey dining room, French accent decor, with some counter seating by the kitchen. Couples, people in their 30’s, shoppers, and families were enjoying their food.

Menu Pictures

Dinner Menu

Lunch Menu

Wine List

Picks:

Escargots ($10.50) in garlic butter were of high quality with a strong buttery flavor. Nice and chewy. Use the leftover garlic butter for the bread.

Warm Frisee and Duck Confit Salad ($11.50) with poached egg, lardon, white wine vinaigre was a solid salad with a decent egg and light dressing. Not enough to act as an entree.

Grilled Flat Iron Steak ($18.50) with Bearnaise sauce and french fries was cooked to perfection and tender. Nice but tiny fries. Good sauce.

Marinated Grilled Lamb Loin ($19.50) was very good, tender, not gamey, and cooked perfectly. Quantities of meat were on the low side, but lardon potato gratin was huge.

Berries & Creme Fraiche Crepe ($7) was full of raspberries and blackberries, not a lot of creme inside, so it was lighter than expected. Pretty good quantity.

OK:

Basic Burger on a french roll ($10.50) with Cheddar cheese ($1.50) with fries was juicy and cooked to our desired medium rare. The bun was a little soft, making it a little mushy with the meat juice. Solid but not excellent.

Onion Soup Gratinee ($6) had a lot of dry sherry flavor and decent cheese crusting. Soup was decent, nothing fabulous but solid.

Sauteed Tilipia ($18) with garlic spinach, tomato concasse was good not great but a solid value. Crust was nice, meat was tender, but no special flavors.

Creme Brulee ($7) was huge, especially at this price. Hard crust, lots of custard. Smooth, creamy, and good, but not as delicate as others we have had.

Spinach ($7) was average.  Nothing special.

Pans:
None

Gamine had above average service, not as attentive as we would expect such a small place, but it was adequate. Glasses of wine start at $9, with a great Baileyana.
Food was decent and prices reasonable. You can get a taste of France without flying. Gamine is like a lower cost and better quality Left Bank.
Other decent places nearby include Asian fusion restaurant Betelnut.

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Cafe des Artistes is a semi-formal restaurant run by famous local chef Thierry Blouet. It is located in the heart of the city and is highly recommended by the Fodor’s Guide and friends.

Awards

Dining Room

Bar Area

Wow

Wall Mural

Bathroom

The restaurant has some beautiful art, making the atmosphere better than the food.
An English version of the menu is available.

Menu:

Prix Fix

Dessert Menu

Picks:

Shellfish platter ($495 pesos, 10:1 US$) had oysters, shrimp, flan scallop cerviche, and crab.  All items were fresh, so it was hard to screw up as long as they had freshly harvested seafood.  The flan scallop cerviche was a little too creamy.

Grilled Snapper (Prix Fix $389) with baked garlic, ratatouille stew, mini gazpacho with parmesan cheese was fresh and of large quantity. It was cooked well and is a good entree.

Sorbet ($90) came with 3 types passion fruit, pineapple, and vanilla , all very good. Run raisin sauce, chantilly cream and toasted almonds helped make this healthy dessert good.

Chocolate cake (Prix Fix $389) was freshly made, looked beaufityl and was decadant.

OK:

Broiled giant Scallop  (Prix Fix $389) with leek ravioli and saffron essence did not have the freshest scallops around.  Not much camelization.  Edible but not special.

Margarita Cadillac ($138) was strong and uniquely flavored.  A good chance to try an authentic drink as compared to the ones back in the US.

Pass:

Sauted Foie Gras ($298) with grapes, apples, and salty caramel was of below average quality. We’ve had better Foie Gras at almost most places in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was overcooked but of large quantity.

Lobster ($650) was steamed and fairly fresh, but was overcooked to the point of being rubbery. It comes with garlic butter. The lobster at Old port lobster shack is far better.

This restaurant serves up some decent dishes, but better food can be had for much less. The best bet is to come to Cafe des Artistes for drinks and appetizers, or dessert. The bill will be much less and you can enjoy the beautiful atmosphere more.